Redfish University spends time from Port St. Joe Bay to Hopedale, LA. The majority of Redfish U’s traveling trips are located in Destin and Panama City. Today, I guided Mr. Bobby Stewart for some redfish(big and legal) and trout action in Destin, FL. Bobby is an accomplished bass fisherman and has some property in Ft. Walton so he wanted to learn about the inshore fishing in Choctawhatchee Bay and around Destin. Started very early with topwaters first fpr speckled trout and legal redfish. Pounded out some very nice trout and some medium redfish on topwater and spoons. Checked a few more areas and then headed to a flat with lots of redfish of all sizes. Superb, sunny and glassy conditions made it very easy for me to call out fish for Bobby who was pretty tuckered out from the early morning action. With his arms cramping, it was a pretty dirty trick to save the redfish festival for the last few hours of the morning. Bob had a blast!! Used 4″ Gulp! Shrimp in lime tiger to sight fish countless redfish from 28-40″. Bobby was able to see the fish, place the bait and watch these fish inhale his Gulp! bait. It was a bit challenging as these fish were not as easy to catch as usual, so a well-placed pitch was the key to our success. All fish released and the ice was saved for Bobby’s arms! I had a great time fishing with you, Bobby! Until time…. E Holstman Please click an image to enlarge and view slideshow....
Read MoreDifficult but not impossible at Redfish University-September 23, 2010
Guided Mr. Mike Hancock this morning. We were a bit concerned with last night’s full moon and this morning’s very little water movement which is usually a sign of tough conditions. Today was no exception but thankfully the stiff east wind helped us produce some fish. I’m very happy that I was able to postpone yesterday’s guide trip as Wednesday would have been a real struggle. Started with topwater baits at first light and stuck some heavy speckled trout but the redfish were uncooperative with only a few followers and swing and misses. We did have one fish toy with the bait for about thirty feet and finally suck the bait but unfortunately it was lost at the boat. Made a long run and switched to Johnson Gold Spoons and Gulp! Ghost Shrimp. Lots of fish that probably dined all night! Ended up getting four and five redfish between 15-22″ but found the larger fish very stubborn. Naturally, these small redfish are more aggressive in difficult conditions and usually take a bait before the bigger fish. Our theory was proven a few times as most of the small redfish were accompanied by mid-slot and upper length fish. Not even a well-placed Gulp! Shrimp, Crab or 1/8oz. Johnson Gold Spoon could pull one of these fish off of a hooked redfish. Most unusual! We were pleased to catch some fish and I think we did as well as we could possibly do today. Conditions will no doubt change in the coming days and we’ll see huge catches of redfish and speckled trout follow. Book now to experience Redfish University. Please click an image to enlarge and view...
Read MoreAwesome morning of Redfish, Speckled Trout and more at Redfish University-September 17, 2010
Another full week of guiding trips has come to an end and I’m ready for another quiet weekend! Guided Lloyd and Malanae Taylor this morning for some redfish and trout action. The plan was to catch a bunch of fish to be prepared at Aegean Breeze this evening. Started at first-light with some topwater action and really got into some nice trout. Switch over to some sub-surface baits and they produced even more. Malanae was the big winner with the trout and even found a big lost Spanish mackerel in the mix. Travelled a short distance to find some big redfish on a flat and Malanae stuck the first monster and it was game on. She got the 17# fish to the boat with a huge grin on her face. Caught a few more redfish and took off to get some redfish to eat. We quickly found plenty of redfish to take Johnson Gold Spoons sight fished and blindcast. These fish are very easy to catch when you see them as it seems they receive zero pressure and are very comfortable. Most fish released and some will be blackened and Aegean-style over at Aegean Breeze this evening. Book now to experience Redfish University! E Holstman Please click an image to enlarge and view...
Read MoreAnother Five Hour Tour of Pensacola Bay and Santa Rosa Sound at Redfish University-September 16, 2010
Guided Mr. Todd Stevenson this morning for a tour of productive fishing areas in Pensacola Bay and Santa Rosa Sound. Started a little later today as we weren’t going to fish at all today. That’s right, we didn’t bring any rods! Instead, our focus was detailed maps of our area waters and a Sharpie pen. All morning, we cruised Santa Rosa Sound, Pensacola Bay, Escambia Bay, East Bay and Blackwater Bay where I showed Todd exactly where to be, at what time of year, on which tides, what he will catch , what to look for and which baits to throw. Todd was supplied with detailed descriptions of each area for the four seasons of the year. At morning’s end, the maps were completely marked and Todd was absolutely set on inshore fishing throughout the year. Redfish University is a great investment for the beginning, new resident, weekend or even skilled local angler. At this price, the trip pays for itself extremely quickly!! I’m looking forward to hearing Todd’s awesome fishing reports in the future! Good luck...
Read MoreGreat morning of Redfish, Trout and Flounder at Redfish University-September 15, 2010
Guided long-time client and one of my favorite anglers to fish with, Mr. Bob Willice, this morning. Hit the water very early and actually had about 15 minutes to wait once we arrived at our area due to darkness and one small rain shower. Started launching topwaters at first light and produced quite a few speckled trout of all sizes. We had some big redfish blowups but no hookups. That’s okay, we knew what to do! Found the large schools of mullet and bait and began to stick very good quality redfish in the 23-27″ range. Great looking orange, fat fish. Very slow-rolled 1/4oz. Johnson Gold Spoons were the bait of choice with all the loose grass on the surface and they performed nicely. Took off and fished some sand and grass mix to grab some more quality redfish. They were pretty aggressive all morning. Total: 15 great Redfish(23-27″), lots of trout, a grouper and a flounder. All fish released including the two beasts in the livewell back at the ramp. Please click an image to enlarge and view...
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